Tweet

Successful Entrepreneurs Know Their Strengths

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: I still work hard, as any entrepreneur does, but I now spend my time like a CEO (not like a salesperson, and not like the "administrator" I think my introverted style was driving me to be early-on). I focus on the things I do best, and let some high-power pros do for me the things I don't want to do (or don't do well). And now I coach my new-entrepreneur clients to consider strategic outsourcing as a way for them to do the same....

Successful Entrepreneurs Know Their Strengths

Strategic Outsourcing Can Help Focus Your Own Efforts The fast track (perhaps the only track) to wealth building in tough economic times is to develop entrepreneurial skills. You might be a freshly-minted business owner; maybe you've joined the growing ranks of successful entrepreneurs who've found a way to operate your own business, from home, in cyberspace.

If so, by now you've probably learned that you can't just sit around and wait for riches to pour down on you from Heaven. In fact, you might be disillusioned. Didn't they tell you your business would be "fully automated," that it would "do all the explaining and selling for you," and that you would make big bucks by just surfing around on the internet? I had a similar experience at the outset of my business, until I realized that (as CEO) I was responsible for every function and piece of the value chain of the business. I didn't have to do every task, but I needed to make sure every task was done, and done well. And that's when I learned about strategic outsourcing.

Here's my favorite example.

Turns out you CAN make very good money right there in your home office, but you do have to talk to people. As an introvert, I'd hoped I could do all my business using email and internet ads. But customers are funny about a few things. They don't buy what you're selling, they buy YOU, and the relationship you build with them... and that can't be done with banner ads and emails alone.

Trouble is, most people HATE cold calling. I know I do.

So I don't do it.

I outsourced it to the professionals. They're calling hundreds of my internet-generated leads for me right now, and every day, and qualifying them for my time. And they're making me sound like the busy professional and successful entrepreneur I truly am.

Here's how my day goes: I do a few hours of what you do, promoting my primary business, driving traffic, advertising, generating leads. Several times a day, the phone rings, and if I can, I take the call... it's my assistant, three-waying another red-hot prospect to talk with me about my business. The prospect has been pre-qualified for my time, meaning she's ready to consider my opportunity, is booked into a webinar to do all the explaining, and has my number. The prospect has made a commitment to my assistant to attend the webinar and to call me afterward. So I spend 2-3 minutes with her, just getting to know her, and starting that all-important relationship building.

I didn't have to call her number six times before reaching her.

I didn't have to talk briefly to ten other people who slammed the phone down in my ear.

I didn't have to leave endless messages... I didn't have to spend hours on the phone with the tire-kickers to find her... I didn't have to "chase" her like a desperate, hungry salesperson.

My assistant did all that.

I only talk to qualified, interested prospects who are chasing me and my opportunity.

Sure, I do pick up the phone for a few minutes a week (yes, you read correctly, just a few minutes a week) to follow-up with folks and help them get happily involved in my primary business... but I ONLY talk to the hot prospects who've already made and kept commitments as they've investigated the opportunity. I spend my time exclusively with serious prospects. And business has gone from tough and dismal to easy and awesome.

I still work hard, as any entrepreneur does, but I now spend my time like a CEO (not like a salesperson, and not like the "administrator" I think my introverted style was driving me to be early-on). I focus on the things I do best, and let some high-power pros do for me the things I don't want to do (or don't do well). And now I coach my new-entrepreneur clients to consider strategic outsourcing as a way for them to do the same.

Related Articles
  Entrepreneurs and Success-Seven Qualities that Matter Most
  3 Secrets to Succeeding Online with Your Business
  Discover and Use Your Personal Strengths
  What is an Entrepreneur?
  Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur
  To Grow Your Business, Surround Yourself with Experts: Charles Schwab
  HEAD GAMES (Part 2 of 3)
  Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur
  MIND GAMES HELP YOUR BUSINESS SUCCEED (Part 1 of 3)
  Understanding Your Strengths and Values: Key to Finding Your Passion at Work
  How To Make Business Partnerships That Work
  How to Create a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Community
  Take Care Of Your Business, XII
  TEN MVP (MOST VALUABLE PERSONAL) TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENUERS
  Would You Be a Successful Business Owner?
  Five Steps to Startup Success
  What Makes an Entrepreneur?
  Write Your Strengths
  How to Write Better and Faster -- And Have More Fun Doing It!
  Brand Development and Industrial Marketing

Article Tags: inspirational leadership, personal responsibility, successful entrepreneurs, weatlh building



Related Forum Posts
Re: What's 1 word to describe what your business will be in 2012 - Successful.
Books for Women Entrepreneurs - There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new. In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment! 1. The Old Girl's Network 2. Mother's Work 3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women 4. Pitch Like A Girl 5. Workplace Warrior 6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer 7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery 8. She Wins, You Win 9. Napoleon On Project Management 10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do 11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years 12. The One Minute Millionaire 13. Talking From 9 to 5 14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions 15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success 16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded 17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful 18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End 19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide 20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen 21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business 22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business 24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises 25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy 26. The Promotable Woman 27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it 28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home 29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
CEOs and Email - Slaves? - I wonder if the emails they are responding to are filtered thru their assistants first 'cos they seem to spend a lot of their off hours responding to them. True they are successful but I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay that price. I'd be interested to know what's the in the typical day planner of Entrepreneurs on the Forum. Entrepreneurs are a different breed than Paid Employees- so it would be interesting to view the contrast.
Fundraising for 3rd world Entrepreneurs - How great to learn that Evan is doing something for Entrepreneurs in Africa! It just makes me even more thankful to be part of this forum! After helping create a new charity for animals in my local community last year, I created a vision for a charity empowering Women Entrepreneurs. It won't happen for a while yet, but I know it is something I will do within the next few years. As we allow ourselves to think bigger, the opportunity to impact people becomes much bigger as well. Does anyone else have a desire to really make a difference in the world through this means?
Re: Greetings from Camping Embroidery - You are welcome to the club. You are networking with the best Entrepreneurs on the whole wide web


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The Value of Small Businesses

The Basics Of A Home Based Internet Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.